Super League: London Broncos v Catalan Dragons preview

London Broncos will be without Jamie O'Callaghan when they welcome the Catalan Dragons to Hive Stadium on Thursday.

Last Updated: 19/04/14 11:58am

The struggling Broncos have already been beaten by their next opponents this year, the Dragons knocking them out of the Tetley's Challenge Cup in March.

However, there were some promising signs for head coach Tony Rea in the loss to Wigan last time out. He saw his side take an early 10-0 lead before eventually going down 36-14 to the reigning Super League champions.

Now they return to home soil in Barnet determined to break their duck in 2014, particularly as they lost all three meetings with Les Catalans last year.

"We've been away for a couple of weeks so the guys are looking forward to playing at home," Rea told the club's website. "We're excited about being in London and it would be nice to see some decent support behind us."

The hosts welcome back James Duckworth after the winger recovered from a hamstring problem, allowing him to take the place of the injured Jamie O'Callaghan.

Nick Slyney also returns after serving a one-match suspension with Mike Bishay making way in the 19-man squad.

Building Dragons

The Dragons, meanwhile, make the trip to London looking to build on their 42-20 triumph over Widnes last time out. It was their third straight win in Perpignan and lifted them away from the relegation places.

Daryl Millard and Damien Cardace both picked up injuries in the win over the Vikings and will not feature at the Hive Stadium.

Antoni Maria and Mathias Pala are selected instead by coach Laurent Frayssinous, who is still unable to call upon the services of Scott Dureau, Brent Webb and Ian Henderson.

Louis Anderson is also sidelined, though the Dragons will hope to have their numbers bolstered for the home game with Hull KR on Monday.